Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sapato | /saˈpa.tu/ (Brazil) /sɐˈpa.tu/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
| calçado | /kawˈsa.du/ (Brazil) /kalˈsa.du/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
The term sapato is the most common and standard way to say shoe. If you are referring to footwear in a broader, more collective sense, you may use calçado. For specific types of footwear, you can use tênis for athletic shoes or sneakers and chinelo for sandals or flip-flops.
Which one should you use?
sapato is used when referring specifically to a shoe, while calçado is a more general term for footwear. For example, while calçado can encompass any type of footwear including sandals or boots, sapato refers to the specific object.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, the term sapatênis is used for a shoe that blends features of dress shoes and sneakers. In Cape Verde, bota refers to boots or high-top shoes.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun sapato becomes sapatos in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of sapato is /saˈpa.tu/ with three syllables and the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word sapato is a distant relative of the English word 'savate', which refers to a French style of boxing that traditionally involves kicking with shoes.
- In Brazil, the word tênis is used for both the sport of tennis and the sneakers worn to play it.
Examples in context
- Cadê o meu outro sapato?Where's my other shoe?This sentence is useful for asking about a missing shoe using sapato.Tatoeba #1607905 by alexmarcelo, translation #1605310 by fanty
- Isto é a sola do sapato.This is the sole of the shoe.This sentence is useful for identifying the sole of a shoe using sapato.Tatoeba #7273165 by iart61, translation #9273482 by Nylez
- É aí que o sapato aperta.That's where the shoe pinches.This sentence uses the idiom of a shoe pinching to describe a difficult situation using sapato.Tatoeba #5908721 by sergiomelo, translation #5907825 by Balamax
- Eu comprei uns tênis novosI bought new sneakers
- Vou usar meu sapatênis no trabalhoI will wear my sapatênis at work
- Vamos à praia, não esqueça seu chineloLet's go to the beach, don't forget your flip-flops
- Vou usar minhas botas novas no invernoI will wear my new boots in the winter
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Lucas are getting ready to leave the house.
- JulianaLucas, você viu o meu sapato preto?Lucas, have you seen my black shoe?
- LucasAcho que está perto da porta.I think it is near the door.
- JulianaNão está aqui. Que sapato você quer usar?It's not here. Which shoe do you want to wear?
- LucasEu vou usar este sapato marrom.I am going to use this brown shoe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shoe” translations and entries sapato, calçado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calçado, sapato, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
